What a week! The thing is – us conveyancers could say that every week!
But what I think we need to see is that conveyancing is not really a nine to five job anymore. I am sitting at my desk on a sunny Sunday morning and my work mobile has just rung. My first thought was outrage that anyone would think of calling me on a Sunday morning, but then perhaps that a client has just had some news that means that he or she will not be able to move house and they want to tell me.
Perhaps a family member has told them it is not a good idea to buy a leasehold house. Perhaps they are struggling to complete the Property Information form and need some guidance. There are so many reasons why clients call us and we have to remember that whereas we try (most of us unsuccessfully) switch off at the weekends, the clients do not; they are moving house twenty four hours a day.
For many of them, it is all that they can think about and they want an immediate answer. Moving house consumes clients, both emotionally and mentally, and we all know clients believe that they are our only clients and expect quick responses. That responsibility and client expectation can make it feel as if we are on call around the clock, even when our office hours are fixed.
We can get one client moved and then there is the next one. It can feel like a treadmill that never slows down. It is relentless.
It is important for us to realise that we are the link between buyers, sellers, lenders, estate agents and others involved but there is no glamour or even recognition as there is in other areas of the law. We have a difficult, detail heavy, regulatory overload of roles but we are critical in that client’s life.
I am now waiting to see if the client leaves a message (none so far) or sends an email….
This is written by a real high street conveyancer who wishes to remain anonymous. Read more in Today’s Conveyancer every week.
